Silas Talbot
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Silas Talbot (11 January 1751 - 30 June 1813) was an officer in the Continental Army and in the Continental Navy. Talbot is most famous for commanding the USS Constitution from 1798 to 1801.
Talbot was born in Dighton, Massachusetts. He was commissioned a captain in the Continental Army on 1 July 1775. After participating in the siege of Boston and aiding in the transportation of troops to New York, he obtained command of a fire ship and attempted to use it to set fire to the British warship Asia.
The attempt failed, but the daring it displayed won him a promotion to major on 10 October 1777.
After suffering a severe wound while fighting to defend Philadelphia, Talbot returned to active service in the summer of 1778 and fought in Rhode Island. As commander of Pigot, and later Argo, both under the Army, he cruised against Loyalist vessels that were harassing American trade between Long Island and Nantucket and made prisoners of many of them. Because of his success fighting afloat for the Army, Congress made him a captain in the Continental Navy on 17 September 1779. However, since Congress had no suitable warship to entrust to him, Talbot put to sea in command of the privateer General Washington. In it he took one prize, but soon thereafter ran into the British fleet off New York. After a chase, he struck his colors to Culloden, a 74-gun ship-of-the-line and remained a prisoner until exchanged for a British officer in December 1781.
After the war, Talbot settled in Fulton County, New York. He was a member of the New York Assembly in 1792 and 1793 and served in the federal House of Representatives from 1793 to 1795. On 5 June 1794, President Washington chose him third in a list of six captains of the newly established United States Navy. Before the end of his term in Congress, he was ordered to superintend the construction of the frigate President at New York. He commanded the Santo Domingo Station in 1799 and 1800 and was commended by the Secretary of the Navy for protecting American commerce and for laying the foundation of a permanent trade with that country. Talbot took Constitution to the West Indies to protect American commerce from French privateers during the Quasi-War. It is said that Talbot was wounded 13 times and carried 5 bullets in his body.
Captain Talbot resigned from the Navy on 23 September 1801 and died at New York City on 30 June 1813.
The first Talbot (Torpedo Boat No. IB) was named for Lt. John Gunnell Talbot; the second and third Talbots (Destroyer No. 114 and DEG-4, respectively) were named for Capt. Silas Talbot.
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.